Easter Island – is it worth the detour?

We’ve all seen the pictures of Easter Island – the moai staring out to sea from a tiny speck of land in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. It’s a site that recently made the short list for the New 7 Wonders of the World, narrowly missing out on the final 7 by finishing, if reports are to be believed, 8th. This puts them high up the list on many people’s bucket lists. However, they are very isolated making them expensive to get to. So, are they worth it or is it an expense too far? There are only two realistic ways onto the island, known as Rapa Nui to the locals – flying from Santiago or flying from Tahiti, French Polynesia. Either way it is an expensive return flight or a pricey way when adding it into a RTW flight. And once on the island, you’ll need to rent a car or a bike to get around as there’s no public transport. Food is expensive and hostels only have basic cooking areas. However you look at it, a trip here won’t come cheap. But what about once you are there? Well, there are multiple sites to visit. Rano Raraku is known as the Nursery as it is the site of many unfinished moai. It is here that all moai on the island were created using stone from the quarry of the volcano. Many of the moai still here are partially buried and you can stand right next to them to get a sense of just how large a full size one would be. I didn’t even reach neck height on many of the statues. How the moai were moved from here to the various sites around the island is still an unknown. At the end of the site is the crater to one of the three volcanoes, all of which are complete with green lakes and stunning views out over the ocean. Ahu Tongariki contains 15 moai in a row. An Ahu is a ceremonial platform, with a line of moai, and Ahu Tongariki is the largest one built. A tsunami damaged many of the moai but one of was fully restored to its old condition complete with top knot on its head. Anakena is a beautiful site with an Ahu of 7 moai, set against a backdrop of a white sandy beach and palm trees, whilst Ahu Akivi is the only site where the moai look out to see rather than inland. Rano Kau and the Orongo Ceremonial Village is home to the remaining another volcanic craters and reed filled lake. From the top of the crater, you can see out to Birdman Island where islanders used to swim out to in the hope of being the first person to find an egg and be crowned birdman for the following year. These sites are genuine one in a million sites, the likes of which cannot be found anywhere else. There are times when the remoteness of the location makes you feel the millions of miles away from the mainland that you are. I have never been anywhere else where you can truly feel that isolated, yet be in such a uniquely cultured and historical place. Whilst there is an expense in getting to the island, if you can make it there, it will be an experience you never forget.